BT & Talktalk Want Government To Drop Anti Piracy Stance

Leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including BT and Carphone Warehouse owned TalkTalk are determined to oppose any rule by the government that would force ISPs to disconnect internet users who are suspected of illegal file sharing.

The opposition from ISPs came on the final day for submissions to a government consultation regarding ways to reduce illegal file sharing over the internet with BT having already dismissed a request by the BPI to suspend 100,000 suspected illegal downloaders.

BT, which incidentally is the largest broadband provider in UK, has expressed concerns that such a move would lead to victimisation of innocent internet users and will raise the cost of delivering broadband service besides being difficult to implement.

Carphone Warehouse chief, Charles Dunstone, has also vociferously opposed any such move and has categorically stated that his company will challenge any direction from government to restrict access to internet users in court.

Expressing his opposition over any move by the government to restrict access to suspected file sharers, Dunstone mentioned “What is being proposed is wrong in principle and it won’t work in practice. The unintended consequence of Mandelson’s plan will be to encourage more wi-fi and PC hijacking and expose more innocent people to being penalised wrongfully.”

Dunstone instead suggested that age rated parental controls on broadband can go a long way in reducing internet file sharing than the proposed coercive measures.

Our Comments

Implementing anti piracy procedures would be counterproductive, time consuming, expensive and very anti-consumer. That's the arguments that ISPs would very likely present to the government to support their decision not to help the record labels or movie moguls. Will the government take heed and back down or will it come back with a vengeance?